Consultants seek public input on Homewood City's comprehensive plan at ward workshop

Consultants presented the consultant-recommended draft of Homewood City's growth and conservation framework and asked residents to test the maps and provide feedback.

The session opened with a brief schedule overview and description of next steps in the comp-plan process. The moderator said the team will produce a first draft for staff review and then release a public draft for comment before preparing a final plan for adoption.

"So, as Kayla was saying, we don't want it to just be my plan," the moderator said, inviting broad participation from residents and noting the team includes economists, transportation engineers and other specialists working on plan elements.

Consultants described three tested futures: "maintain the high life" (small tweaks to preserve existing character), an incremental-infill approach focused on strategic redevelopment, and a larger "Hometown Makeover" that explores more transformational opportunities. The presenter emphasized these are scenarios to illustrate trade-offs, not final policy.

Attendees were told the team had already interviewed city staff and elected officials, made city tours and analyzed existing ordinances and regulations to ground recommendations in local conditions. The moderator noted the comp-plan level is high-level guidance and that specific zoning changes would come later.

Participants were invited to four interactive map stations and to open studio hours at the library for parcel-level review. Anna, who staffed the map tables, explained participants should place a colored dot on an area, record the dot number and sector, note any desired sector change and provide a short comment; cards and maps would be collected for consultant review.

The meeting closed with a reminder of additional topical roundtables scheduled this week (transportation, economic development, parks and housing) and an invitation to review the public draft once it is released.